At the heart of InnovHer’s evolution is a leadership collective that embodies rare depth in execution, capital literacy, governance maturity, and ecosystem intelligence. In an environment where most Tier 2 venture platforms are still chasing relevance, InnovHer is consciously building institutional muscle. What distinguishes the platform is not merely the stature of those who have aligned with its mission, but the clarity of purpose with which they contribute, strengthening InnovHer’s ability to translate ambition into durable institution-building.

L to R: Onkar Bagaria, Mandar Shrikant Joshi, Shweta Choudhary, Anish Maheshwari, Digvijay Singh

Onkar Bagaria: Capital Discipline Meets Capability Building

Strategic Partner for Innovher, Onkar Bagaria brings a distinctive perspective shaped by investment banking, institutional leadership, and generational business wisdom. His grounding in structured finance and capital markets, coupled with his role as CEO at VGU, one of Rajasthan’s leading private university, allows him to bridge the often disconnected worlds of financial discipline and capability creation.

Within InnovHer, he plays a critical role in strengthening investor readiness frameworks, capital structuring confidence, governance orientation, and sustainable long-term planning. His family business legacy adds an important generational lens, focusing not only on growth but on reputation, credibility, and risk stewardship. For Tier 2 ventures aspiring to command serious institutional trust, his involvement ensures that capital aspiration is matched with financial prudence.

Mandar Shrikant Joshi: Aligning Tier 2 Ambitions With Global Standards

As Strategic Partner at Innovher for Global Venture Building and Ecosystem Design, Mandar Shrikant Joshi introduces a powerful international calibration layer to InnovHer’s mission. His experience spans venture building, startup ecosystems, investor readiness, and strategic alignment across multiple geographies and market cycles. He understands how founders evolve, how ecosystems mature, and what separates globally competitive ventures from locally confined aspirations.

At InnovHer, he focuses on aligning venture-building frameworks with international benchmarks, strengthening cross-border linkages, and preparing founders for global markets and capital expectations. His inputs are particularly impactful for sectors such as D2C, luxury, and lifestyle where aspiration must be backed with robust execution structures. Through his lens, InnovHer reinforces a central belief: Tier 2 origin is not a limitation. With the right discipline, founders from emerging ecosystems can build ventures that confidently operate on a global stage.

Anish Maheshwari: Governance Strength and Capital Stewardship

In a startup climate often driven by speed over structure, Anish Maheshwari, Director at VSure Investments, Mumbai, brings the stabilizing force of governance maturity and capital stewardship to InnovHer. As Strategic Partner at InnovHer for Corporate Governance and Capital Stewardship, he anchors the leadership bench with boardroom-grade seriousness.

He contributes deeply to corporate governance frameworks, investment structuring sanity, compliance sophistication, and investor confidence building. He ensures that ambition is supported by institutional safeguards, enabling founders to grow without exposing themselves to avoidable risks. At a time when credible investors increasingly demand transparency, discipline, and ethical capital management, his presence serves as a crucial assurance mechanism. For InnovHer, this balance between growth velocity and governance integrity is not optional. It is foundational.

Digvijay Singh: Architecting Digital Presence and Platform Trust

If InnovHer represents vision and institutional maturity, it also stands for lived mentorship and human evolution. Digvijay Singh, Director at InnovHer, represents that journey. Once mentored by InnovHer’s founder, he has grown into a core execution pillar and narrative custodian of the platform.

With a deep understanding of digital media, content ecosystems, and platform storytelling, he strengthens how InnovHer and its portfolio communicate credibility, trust, and relevance in today’s attention-driven digital economy. His work spans brand architecture, digital strategy, founder communication frameworks, narrative discipline, and media design. Beyond strategy, his journey from being a learner to becoming a leader reflects InnovHer’s belief in compounding human capital, not just financial capital.

A Convergence of Experience with One Aligned Mission

What truly distinguishes InnovHer’s leadership is not individual brilliance, but strategic complementarity. Capital markets expertise, governance strength, global venture wisdom, digital strategy, and institutional vision converge into one coherent operating philosophy: build ventures that are execution ready, capital credible, and institutionally governed from day one. With leaders like Onkar Bagaria, Mandar Shrikant Joshi, Anish Maheshwari, and Digvijay Singh rallying behind Dr. Shweta Choudhary’s vision, InnovHer’s momentum has moved beyond being founder driven. It is now institution anchored.

From Jaipur, InnovHer is quietly rewriting what Tier 2 entrepreneurship can represent in India. Not through noise. Not through rushed scaling. But by earning trust, building discipline, and nurturing a culture of seriousness around entrepreneurship. When experience aligns with purpose and integrity, institutions are not built overnight. They are built to endure. InnovHer stands as a testament to that belief.

Following its historic achievement as the first Miscellaneous Non-Banking Company (MNBC) in India to cross the Rs. 1 Lakh Crore ($12 Billion+) business turnover mark, Kerala State Financial Enterprises (KSFE) has started 2026 on a high note by securing top honors at the 7th Business World Emerging Business Awards.

KSFE Dividend Presentation: Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal receiving the Rs. 70 crore dividend for FY 2024-25 from KSFE Chairman K. Varadarajan and MD Dr. S.K. Sanil

Recognized nationally for Excellence in MSME Financing and Leadership in Financial Inclusion, KSFE is now pivoting from a regional powerhouse to a national pillar of trusted finance.

“The achievement of KSFE is not just a success for Kerala, but a resilient model for the entire country. At a time when many financial institutions have faltered due to policy flaws, KSFE has proven that a public sector entity, rooted in transparency and public trust, can become a national leader in the financial sector,” stated Kerala Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal.

The “Mission One Crore” Surge

Entering 2026, KSFE has officially activated “Mission One Crore.” With a current base of 6 million customers, the institution is aggressively expanding its digital footprint and physical presence to reach 10 million customers across India.

Why KSFE is Winning the Trust War:

• While the private NBFC sector faces volatility, KSFE’s “State-Backed” model has become a safe haven for Non Resident Keralalits

• Hyper-Growth: Business volume doubled from Rs. 50,000 Cr to Rs. 100,000 Cr in just 48 months.

• Fiscal Strength: A net profit of Rs. 512 Crore (FY24-25) with Rs. 8,925 Crore in fixed deposits safely held in the state treasury.

• Social Impact: Unlike private lenders, KSFE returned Rs. 504 Crore to the public through interest waivers and contributed Rs. 920 Crore to state development projects.

Innovation for the New-Age Indian

The 2026 strategy is anchored by two flagship initiatives:

The Fraternity Fund: Rebranding the traditional “Chitty” for Gen Z and Millennials as a peer-to-peer savings-cum-credit tool for high-end education and home-building.

Digital First: The KSFE Power App is now processing thousands of transactions daily from the Malayali diaspora and young professionals in metros like Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi.

“KSFE is no longer a Kerala-only secret. We are India’s answer to sustainable, ethical finance. Our win at the BW Emerging Business Awards proves that our model of ‘People over Profits’ is what India wants in 2026,” says Dr. S. K. Sanil, Managing Director, KSFE.

About KSFE

KSFE is a 100% Kerala Government-owned financial institution. Since 1969, it has provided a transparent and secure alternative to private money lenders, now operating 683 branches with a business volume exceeding Rs. 1 Trillion.

InnovHer has announced a major leadership milestone with Jeet Vijay joining the organization as Co-Founder. The appointment marks a defining moment in InnovHer’s journey as it formally transitions into InnovHer 2.0, its next phase as a full-scale venture institution focused on startups, SMEs, and regional economic development.

Jeet Vijay Joins InnovHer as Co-Founder, Ushering in InnovHer 2.0 and a New Era of Institutional Venture Building

Over the past two years, InnovHer has steadily built credibility as a Tier-2 venture platform—deploying capital, enabling co-investments, facilitating early exits, and positioning Jaipur as an emerging national convergence point for founders and investors. With this transition, InnovHer is sharpening its focus on institutional design, governance rigor, and long-term capital stewardship. The inclusion of Jeet Vijay significantly strengthens this ambition by adding policy depth, national-global perspective, and execution discipline.

A Leader Shaped by Policy, Capital, and Ecosystem Building

Jeet Vijay brings over 18 years of experience across venture capital, private equity, startup policy, and ecosystem leadership. Most recently, he served as the CEO of MeitY Startup Hub, the Government of India’s nodal agency for technology startups. In this role, he operated at the center of India’s innovation architecture—working closely with central ministries, investors, incubators, accelerators, and founders across the country.

His work has spanned national advisory roles, startup funding frameworks, and large-scale ecosystem programs, giving him a rare vantage point on what differentiates activity-driven initiatives from institution building. Beyond domestic policy leadership, Jeet’s international exposure—including collaborations with the University of Texas (USA)—has shaped his understanding of how mature ecosystems integrate universities, capital, and enterprises into long-term economic engines.

Equally significant is Jeet’s strong regional grounding. Hailing from Alwar, Rajasthan, and coming from a business family, he brings first-hand insight into the realities of Tier-2 and Tier-3 India. This perspective aligns closely with InnovHer’s founding belief that regional India requires durable institutions, not episodic programs, to unlock sustainable growth.

Commenting on his decision to join InnovHer, Jeet Vijay said, “Coming from Alwar, Rajasthan, I have always believed that regional India should not just export talent to metros, but build strong institutions at home. Joining InnovHer is my way of contributing back—by bringing policy experience, global exposure, and capital discipline to strengthen startups and SMEs in Rajasthan and other Tier-2 regions. If we want sustainable growth, we must build local economic engines that can compete nationally and globally while remaining rooted in their communities.”

Strengthening InnovHer’s Strategic and Institutional Output

As Co-Founder, Jeet Vijay’s role will focus on sharpening InnovHer’s strategic direction, governance frameworks, and institutional architecture. His presence brings greater rigor to venture selection, capital structuring, and policy alignment—ensuring that InnovHer’s growth is disciplined, auditable, and scalable.

More importantly, his inclusion expands InnovHer’s horizon. With a deep understanding of national policy, global best practices, and regional execution, Jeet strengthens InnovHer’s ability to support startups and SMEs as long-term economic contributors, not merely high-growth bets. This approach is increasingly relevant as India’s next growth cycle is expected to be driven by MSMEs, regional enterprises, and innovation-led local economies.

InnovHer 2.0: Building a Venture Institution from Tier-2 India

InnovHer 2.0 represents a deliberate shift—from a venture platform to a venture institution. The next phase is designed to deliver deeper, more structured support to:

• SMEs seeking capital readiness and sustainable growth pathways

• Startups requiring governance-first scaling frameworks

• Local economies aiming to build durable innovation capacity

With Jeet Vijay joining as Co-Founder, InnovHer reinforces its commitment to institution-grade execution, long-term capital stewardship, and ecosystem accountability. The organization aims to demonstrate that venture institutions built from Tier-2 India can deliver outcomes on par with, or better than, metro-centric models.

A Shared Vision for National Impact

The alignment between InnovHer’s founding leadership and Jeet Vijay is rooted in a shared conviction: India’s most resilient innovation will emerge from regions when supported by strong institutions. InnovHer 2.0 seeks to set a national benchmark by proving that disciplined venture building, policy alignment, and regional grounding can coexist with scale and global competitiveness.

As InnovHer steps into this new chapter, the appointment of Jeet Vijay is not merely a leadership announcement—it is a signal. A signal that InnovHer is building for scale with discipline, for growth with purpose, and for impact with longevity.

On a morning in New Delhi, the Bharat Mobility Global Expo buzzed with the familiar hum of India’s automotive giants. Visitors wandered between displays of combustion engines and gleaming show cars, the kind of scene Delhi has hosted for decades. But in one corner of the hall, the crowd slowed. Two premium compact electric SUVs sat under the lights, the VF 6 and VF 7, their sharp V-shaped signatures glowing long before anyone registered the name on the stand.

VinFast has quietly climbed into the ranks of India’s top electric vehicle brands

VinFast’s debut in India on Jan 17 of last year caught even veteran showgoers off guard. The company had brought right-hand drive versions tailored specifically for Indian consumers, a quiet signal that it was here with purpose, not testing the waters. Still, few in the hall recognized the badge. Amid the hum of announcements and clicking shutters, one visitor leaned toward a friend and asked, “Who are these people?”

That question did not hang in the air for long. In the weeks that followed, a group of Indian journalists traveled to Vietnam to see where the cars came from. What they discovered in the northen city of Hai Phong reframed everything.

“I had no idea VinFast is such a big group,” auto journalist Swati Agrawal recalled. “I saw the factory, the manufacturing plant, and not only cars, even scooters, buses, electric buses. Everything is being manufactured in one place. Three lakh cars per year. This is not a small brand.”

Her reaction points to a deeper story. VinFast’s sudden visibility in India is not merely an export push. It is the latest chapter in Vietnam’s own industrial transformation, one that has accelerated quickly enough to catch even Asia’s seasoned automotive observers off guard.

A 400-Acre Factory… From Nothing

By the time the expo lights dimmed, the next act of VinFast’s India story had already begun taking shape in Tamil Nadu months earlier.

To choose a location for its plant, the company surveyed fifteen sites across six states. Tamil Nadu, with its manufacturing-ready infrastructure and active support for green mobility initiatives, rose to the top. What happened next showed how the brand like to act. And it’s right there in the name: Fast.

In late February 2024, when the groundbreaking ceremony began on a sun soaked, low lying tract of land near Thoothukudi, the site was still empty. By Aug 4, 2025, it housed India’s newest electric vehicle factory, a 400-acre complex with body shop, paint shop, general assembly, logistics warehouse, and supplier-ready zones.

“We entered India with nothing,” CEO Pham Sanh Chau said at the inauguration ceremony. “No land. No factory. No team. The only thing we had was a deep resolve and a belief that this area could become a leading hub for electric vehicles and auto components in South Asia.” He gestured to the plant behind him. “In just fifteen months, we transformed this land into a modern, highly-automated factory.”

When the first VF 6 and VF 7 rolled out that morning, they were the first VinFast vehicles to be made-in-India, by the hands and minds of Indian people, for Indian customers. “They are a symbol of the aspirations and resilience of the Indian people as they reach for a better, cleaner future,” Chau said.

The plant is expected to create 3,000-3,500 direct jobs and several thousand more across the supply chain as auxiliary partners move into the region. Suppliers have already expressed readiness to relocate workshops near the factory, a sign of confidence in Thoothukudi’s rise as an automotive production base.

In parallel, VinFast’s India team has moved quickly to build the retail and service backbone that can make or break an EV brand in this market. By end of 2025, the company had opened 35 dealerships, stretching from Delhi, Gurugram and Noida in the north to Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi and Hyderabad.

Yet the most unusual part of the ecosystem lies in aftersales support. VinFast partnered with RoadGrid, myTVS and Global Assure with the aim of creating a full-fledged third-party service centers before the first customer deliveries. Global Assure will operate a round the clock helpline, roadside assistance and mobile service. RoadGrid and myTVS will handle charging, maintenance and diagnostics, including support in areas where VinFast does not yet have a showroom.

For a country where questions about EV service often outweigh questions about EV design, this infrastructure may prove decisive.

Financing, long a barrier for EV adoption in India, has also been addressed through agreements with major banks including HDFC Bank, Yes Bank, Axis Bank, and others. These arrangements offer everything from dealer inventory financing to 100 percent on-road customer loans, with bank officers stationed directly in showrooms for simplified approval.

“This is how you support an EV transition,” one banker at the Chennai showroom launch said. “You do not just sell cars. You build systems.”

And in the months since customer deliveries began, VinFast has quietly climbed into the ranks of India’s top electric vehicle brands. Industry registration data shows the company already placing among the country’s top 10 EV brands, a notable shift for a name that was unfamiliar to most Indians at the start of the year. Its early momentum, built on steady deliveries and expanding visibility on the roads, has reinforced what many analysts have begun to observe.

“I love one thing about Vingroup,” Swati says. “They know what they are doing. And if they have a plant in India, people will think you are not going to just sell the product and leave.” She adds, “In India, if you give good price, good range, and good service, the customers are yours.”

Why this first year matters

The rollout of Made-in-India VF 6 and VF 7 has already begun shifting industry perception. In April 2025, ABP Live named the VF 7 “Most Awaited New Car,” praising its design and advanced features. At the Jagran Hi-Tech Awards later in the year, VinFast was named “EV Manufacturer of the Year”, and the VF 7 won “EV Disruptor of the Year”.

“VinFast embodies the spirit of innovation and progress driving India’s EV transformation,” said Jagran’s auto editor Arjit Garg. He commented that the company has displayed a rare clarity of direction for a newcomer and a “people-first vision” that aligns with India’s long-term mobility goals.

VinFast’s long-term commitment became even more visible on Dec 4, 2025, when VinFast signed a new MOU with the Government of Tamil Nadu to expand its Thoothukudi facility by an additional 200 hectares. The second-phase investment will add production lines for electric buses, e-scooters and charging infrastructure, deepening localization and strengthening India’s emergence as a regional manufacturing hub. For many observers, the expansion underscored that the company’s commitment runs far beyond its initial launch.

With the factory inaugurated, dealerships opening, service networks activating and customers already booking, VinFast enters 2026 as a steady companion in India’s electric transition, intent on growing with the country.

Indian visitors to Vietnam say the brand’s trajectory feels familiar yet refreshing. Piyush, a journalist and content creator, thinks back to the sight of VinFast cars filling Vietnam’s streets. “I can imagine something similar happening in India,” he says. “Maybe after five or six years.”

Dr Odin is set to introduce a new generation of smart medical devices that connect wirelessly with smartphones, enabling users to manage health vitals seamlessly through the Dr Odin Health App. The upcoming range includes a Digital Thermometer, Infrared Thermometer, Pulse Oximeter, Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor, and Fetal Doppler, all designed to work effortlessly with the newly enhanced mobile application.

Dr. Odin unveils its new App-enabled health range—pulse oximeter, thermometers, BP monitor, and fetal doppler—bringing smart, connected care to families

The new product lineup allows users to connect devices to their phones through the mobile app, capture readings automatically, maintain digital health records, and share reports instantly with doctors, caregivers, or family members. This ecosystem has been developed to simplify health monitoring while helping users stay better informed about their well-being.

The upgraded Dr Odin Health App introduces several value-driven features created to address everyday healthcare challenges:

• Health Vault: A secure digital storage space for users to upload, organize, and share medical records, ensuring important documents remain safe and accessible at all times.

• Pill Box: A practical medication reminder feature that allows users to set alerts for prescribed medicines, helping reduce the chances of missing doses.

• Warranty Registration & Management: Users can now register their Dr Odin devices within the app, access digital warranty records, and manage claims or support requirements with ease, eliminating the need to maintain physical warranty cards.

• Integrated Brand Experience: Users can also explore and purchase Dr Odin’s wide portfolio of healthcare and wellness products directly from within the app.

The app is available on both iOS and Android platforms, making it convenient and accessible for families, wellness-focused individuals, chronic care users, and expecting parents who require efficient health tracking and record management.

A spokesperson from Dr Odin shared that the initiative reflects the company’s continued commitment to advancing digital health solutions, combining dependable medical technology with intuitive digital tools to support modern healthcare needs at home.

The new smart device range, combined with the enhanced Dr Odin Health App, aims to redefine everyday personal healthcare by making it more connected, organized, and effortless.

For more information, visit: www.drodin.in

An event themed “AI Empowers New-Gen Intelligent Substations” was successfully held in Bangkok where Huawei and Thailand’s Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) jointly unveiled an innovative next-gen intelligent substation solution, marking a new milestone in the digital and intelligent transformation of Thailand’s power infrastructure.
 

Huawei and PEA Jointly Release Next-Gen Intelligent Substation Solution

William Zhang, President of Enterprise Business at Huawei Thailand, stated, “The new power system faces trends such as green energy integration and interactive power consumption. Digitalization and intelligence are key to addressing these challenges. As critical nodes in the grid, substations must be upgraded to enhance overall reliability. The solution we launched with PEA uses optical-visual linkage and AI-based predictive maintenance to enable intelligent inspections and efficient O&M, ensuring substations run safely, reliably, and efficiently.“

Pantong Thinsatit, Assistant Governor for Grid Network Operations at PEA, added, “Digital transformation is essential for high-quality development in the power industry. PEA is accelerating substation intelligence by harnessing innovation to reshape energy services. We’ve deployed intelligent unattended systems in 467 substations, using cutting-edge technology to ensure safe operations. Moving forward, we will push for full automation, eliminate data silos, and integrate smart poles, license plate recognition, battery monitoring, and emergency buttons for rapid, precise responses. This will make intelligent substations central to the energy ecosystem and provide a replicable model for industry-wide digital transformation.“

Traditional substations often struggle with three major issues: limited security monitoring, inefficient and error-prone manual inspections, and outdated cabling that causes high latency and poor stability, restricting multi-service processing and intelligent scheduling. Huawei’s solution tackles these challenges with three core capabilities:

Perimeter Protection—All-Weather Digital Security
Using fiber optic sensing and AI algorithms, the system automatically detects intrusions, links with video surveillance devices, and allows remote verification—shifting from reactive to proactive security with round-the-clock monitoring.

Intelligent Inspection—Innovative Maintenance
Multi-scenario AI inspection algorithms, computer vision models, and cloud-edge collaboration support automatic meter reading and transformer oil leakage warnings, enabling real-time remote management and minute-level fault responses.

Full Connectivity—Comprehensive Sensing Network
Intra-station passive optical networks (PONs) significantly reduce deployment time and costs, forming the power grid’s “nervous system” to deliver reliable, high-speed connectivity for intelligent O&M.

This joint achievement underscores Huawei and PEA’s progress in technological innovation and ecosystem cooperation. Looking ahead, Huawei will continue to work closely with Thai power companies and partners to accelerate the digital and intelligent transformation of the power sector.